Qatar warns Middle East war could force the Gulf to halt energy exports within weeks, triggering a historic oil supply loss and a potential $150 crude price shock as markets underreact

Qatar’s energy minister Saad al-Kaabi has warned that the escalating conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States could force Gulf oil and gas exporters to halt energy exports within days or weeks, potentially triggering one of the largest energy supply shocks in history and pushing oil prices toward $150 per barrel. His comments follow an Iranian drone strike on Qatar’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex at Ras Laffan, which led Qatar to declare force majeure on some deliveries and highlighted the vulnerability of Gulf energy infrastructure. In an interview with the Financial Times, Kaabi argued that if the war continues and regional energy facilities in countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are increasingly targeted, all major Gulf exporters may be unable to meet contractual obligations and could be forced to suspend production. He said such a disruption could “bring down the economies of the world,” noting that even if the conflict stopped immediately, it would still take weeks to months for Qatar to restore normal LNG export patterns after the Ras Laffan shutdown. The warning comes as oil benchmarks like Brent and WTI have already moved sharply higher on fears of broader supply disruption in the Middle East, a region that supplies a large share of global oil and petrochemical feedstock. The stakes are significant because the Gulf region is central to global energy security, and Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters. A simultaneous disruption across multiple Gulf producers would strain alternative suppliers, intensify competition between Asian and European buyers for limited cargoes, and risk amplifying inflation and economic stress worldwide. Markets, however, have so far only partially priced in this worst‑case scenario, leaving a gap between Kaabi’s warnings of a systemic energy shock and current market expectations.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

More coverage

• Qatar Energy Minister Warns Middle East War Could Push Oil To $150 (i24news.tv)
• Oil prices jump after Qatar warns disruption could push crude to $150 (euronews.com)

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